Parrot (South American)
Dick Pym, Exeter City's goalkeeper from Topsham who went on to play for Bolton Wanderers and England, was said to have been one of three players who brought back parrots from the Grecians' South American tour in 1914. One of the birds is reputed to have been buried under the pitch and to have blighted City with bad luck.
After City returned from their tour of Argentina and Brazil on the eve of the Great War, stories abounded about the souvenirs brought home by members of the touring party. Aside from the certainty of the footballs carried back by goalkeeper Dick Pym (as displayed in the club museum), it was said that the Topsham fisherman and two team mates brought back a number of parrots.
Whilst one may have been taken home as a pet, the others were kept at St James' Park and occasionally used as mascots. Eventually when one died it was decided to bury it under the goalmouth at the St James' Road end.
All was thought to be well until City hit a bad run of results with the deceased bird suddenly cast as a symbol of bad luck. The solution, it was maintained, was to immediately exhume the bird so as to bring about better fortunes.
Unfortunately there appears to be no indication of which set of poor results in particular prompted this action. Yet it is claimed City won the next game after the disinterment by a single goal which was scored at that end of the pitch.
Given that certain larger parrots can live for up to sixty years, and that the legend may have lingered long in the collective memory, the remedial action of removing the parrot's remains may have taken place many years after it had arrived from either Argentina or (more likely) Brazil. Of that nobody appears certain.
After City returned from their tour of Argentina and Brazil on the eve of the Great War, stories abounded about the souvenirs brought home by members of the touring party. Aside from the certainty of the footballs carried back by goalkeeper Dick Pym (as displayed in the club museum), it was said that the Topsham fisherman and two team mates brought back a number of parrots.
Whilst one may have been taken home as a pet, the others were kept at St James' Park and occasionally used as mascots. Eventually when one died it was decided to bury it under the goalmouth at the St James' Road end.
All was thought to be well until City hit a bad run of results with the deceased bird suddenly cast as a symbol of bad luck. The solution, it was maintained, was to immediately exhume the bird so as to bring about better fortunes.
Unfortunately there appears to be no indication of which set of poor results in particular prompted this action. Yet it is claimed City won the next game after the disinterment by a single goal which was scored at that end of the pitch.
Given that certain larger parrots can live for up to sixty years, and that the legend may have lingered long in the collective memory, the remedial action of removing the parrot's remains may have taken place many years after it had arrived from either Argentina or (more likely) Brazil. Of that nobody appears certain.
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